Gaeldorland
Nation Information Gaeldorland is a growing, mostly developed, and old nation at 180 days old with citizens primarily of Scandinavian ethnicity whose religion is Islam. Its technology is advancing rapidly. Its citizens enjoy a wealth of technology within their nation. Its citizens pay extremely high taxes and many despise their government as a result. The citizens of Gaeldorland work diligently to produce Pigs and Aluminum as tradable resources for their nation. It is a mostly neutral country when it comes to foreign affairs. It will usually only attack another nation if attacked first. When it comes to nuclear weapons Gaeldorland will not research or develop nuclear weapons. The military of Gaeldorland has been positioned at all border crossings and is arresting all drug traffickers. Gaeldorland allows its citizens to protest their government but uses a strong police force to monitor things and arrest lawbreakers. It has an open border policy, but in order for immigrants to remain in the country they will have to become citizens first. Gaeldorland believes in the freedom of speech and feels that it is every citizen's right to speak freely about their government. The government gives foreign aid when it can, but looks to take care of its own people first. Gaeldorland will not make deals with another country that has a poor history of inhuman treatment of its citizens. Name The word Gaeldorland is actually not of Norse origin as the inhabitants of the nation are. The Norse tribe of Gaels that migrated from Lapland actually had origins with the Gaels of Ireland. These intrepid sailors of the Gaelic descent settled in Lapland for three centuries, founding the Gaeldor tribe before moving on to Kamchatka. They are ethnically Norse, but retain remnants of their Irish ancestry. Gaeldorland is simply the land of the Gaeldors. Government Gaeldorland is a Monarchy. High Chief Bellisus has reigned since the nation was founded in January 2008. Despite a period of turbulence and uprising in May 2008, his rule has been characterized for the most part by growth and stability. The government has worked unsuccessfully to stamp out religion of all kinds, and stages periodic raids on missionary outposts. Geography Gaeldorland is a mountainous and volcanic region. It is located on the Kamchatka peninsula. The capital city of Gaeldor Isle is on a small island off the coast of Kamchataka. History Mythological History The Mythology of the Gaeldors is largely an oral tradition, beginning with the Gaeldor God of War, Bellisus. He is not mentioned in any medieval histories or records, but fully one eighth of the population is named after him, including the nation's ruler. Bellisus was the mythical god of war who led his tribe from Ireland to Lapland, and ultimately Kamchatka. He is credited in Gaeldor tradition with the invention of the Longboat. Legend has it that the Gaeldors grew restless in Lapland and wanted to expand. Bellisus suggested they pursue northeasterly explorations, as the rest of the world was dominated by much larger tribes. The entire tribe gathered into two longboats and sailed the Arctic Ocean. They found good land in the mountains of Kamchatka, and settled to raise their Cattle. Pre-History and Nationhood Ethnology supports the mythology of the Gaeldor tribe, as does archaelogy. Remnants of longboats and medieval Viking weaponry can be found in archaeological digs in Gaeldorland today. Until Bellisus founded the nation of Gaeldorland, the Gaeldors were a loose band of Norwegian and Swedish tribes. They were wary of all outsiders, while and their economy revolved solely around Cattle herding. The discovery of Uranium in early 2008 led to immediate international interest. The leader of the most prominent tribe, Bellisus, gathered other tribal chieftains to his tent at Skarudal on January 16, 2008. After a two day conference, Bellisus was proclaimed the ruler of all Gaeldor tribes on January 18, 2008. He named the nation the Kingdom of Gaeldorland. Early History In the first days of his rule, Bellisus resisted all foreign influence. He was wary of other leaders more experienced in global politics. However, he began exporting Uranium and Cattle soon, and secured enough resources to open a state run fast food chain, McGaeldor's. Despite his new open trade policy, Bellisus and the Gaeldor parliament was wary of outside influence. They resisted all overtures to join international alliances, while waging a few small scale raids in the mean time. During this time Gaeldorland grew slowly but surely, securing improvements such as a financial center, a public school system, and a national stadium. Track and Field became the national sport, but Baseball also became very popular. Marquee events such as Rolling Stones concerts also began appearing at Gaeldorland National Coliseum. Avalanche Bellisus felt increasing internal and external pressure to join an alliance and on the 16th of April 2008, he committed to a small alliance named Avalanche. While the alliance was a small community, it was protected by treaty by the mighty Greenland Republic Bellisus felt a smaller alliance would give him a greater amount of autonomy. Gaeldorland retained the right to govern all aspects of government, including military engagements. Being part of Avalanche opened up the avenues to technological trading. Foreign dignitaries from other Avalanche states solidified a deal on the 30th of April in the Gaeldor capital of Skarudal, resulting in much needed infrastructure, a new foreign ministry and harbor. Another deal moderated by Nueva Vida would have resulted in further growth, but internal conflict reared its ugly head. May Revolution A Uranium shortage found Gaeldorland with a lack of trading partners. This caused Christian and Jewish fanatics in the hinterlands to rise against the rightful atheist government. The rebels drove the government into exile. Bellisus retained the name Gaeldorland on the island off the coast of Kamchatka, naming his new city Gaeldor Isle. The Island was formerly one of the Commander Islands, but has since been known only as Gaeldor Isle. Bellisus was able to complete the technology deals by sheer luck, having escaped with much of his technology, he was somehow able to get messages passed the JCSG radar blockade. The two nations easily outflanked the JCSG Navy and arrived with cash for technological secrets. Two Gaeldorlands Most governments around the world recognized the Kingdom of Gaeldorland as the rightful government of the Gaeldor people. A few Christian and Jewish theocracies recognized the Jewish and Christian States of Gaeldorland (JCSG), a nominally democratic government that was really run by a coalition of Jewish Rabbis and Christian pastors. However, in the months following the revolution the uneasy truce between the Christians and the Jews ended, and the two groups began fighting among one another, sometimes even fighting Christian against Christian, Jew against Jew. During this time, the Kingdom of Gaeldorland grew rapidly due to large Aluminum deposits present on Gaeldor Isle, and a special breed of low fat swine that Gaeldor geneticists had been developing before the war. Soon Bellisus enjoyed power over the coastal fisheries of the JCSG. His influence grew among people disillusioned with the religious bigotry and starvation that the JCSG and their infighting offered. The JCSG's power continued to diminish rapidly as the Kingdom of Gaeldorland grew at an astonishing rate. Growing International Influence While his power had temporarily diminished at home, his influence in Avalanche was rising. He was elected to a term as a senator and then two terms as Lord of Internal Affairs. Under his internal affairs lordship, tech raiding was limited, and all members of the alliance had to take a tech raiding exam before earning the right to raid. He also spearheaded the banking movement and attempted tostreamline technology deals and trading. On the external affairs front, Bellisus was instrumental in signing a Peace, Information and Aid Treaty with the Global Republic of Armed Nations. He may have lost some popularity with the citizenry due to his harsh stance on illegal tech raiding. One member left because of his punishment. Bellisus, however, believes that illegal tech raiding is the biggest danger facing Avalanche member states today, and that it should be dealt with harshly. Avalanche Great Lord On November 16, Bellisus became the fourth Great Lord of Avalanche. He followed in the footsteps of such great leaders as Lord Voss, SirDog, and Mattea. His reign ended on January 16, as SirDog returned from his absence abroad, and Bellisus had many pressing issues on the hom front to take care of. Final Defeat of the JCSG and the Rise Capitalism Coinciding with his victory abroad, Bellisus declared the JCSG defeated, and anyone flying their flag to be a traitor to the Kingdom of Gaeldorland. The Kindgom of Gaeldorland again holds sway over all former JCSG territories. In the early days of the final defeat, many predicted Bellisus would return to his old tactics of religious persecution. He surprised the nation by allowing broad religious freedom in an effort to halt any groups like the JCSG. Bellisus experimented with Capitalism, a form of government that allowed him to diffuse religious malcontents through increased personal freedoms. Stunning Growth With December came an end to Capitalism. Militant Islamic groups began forming in the Gaeldor hinterlands, and Bellisus decided he must again rule as king. However, many of the economic and personal freedoms found with the capitalist experiment remained, and a period of stunning growth began on December 2. The nation expanded its military by 60%, and opened police stations across the nation. The Gaeldor heath care system finally grew beyond traditional medicine, with a state of the art hospital opening in the former capital of Skaraudal. The nation also expanded its infrastructure by 33%. Many analysts think this was due largely in part to the Capitalist government. Bellisus faced many challenges in moving away from such a popular government. Many pundits predicted he would keep many of the reforms adopted under the system. Center for Atheist Thought January saw another surge in religious awakening, again from the Christians. Since the nation had grown rapidly, funds were available for a new strategy. The Center for Atheist Thought was opened, with branches opened around the country. These centers promoted humanism and common decency for all mankind. However, there were whispers that some Christians were taken to the centers for conversion to Atheism, and were forced to work in labor camps if they would not convert. Religion Religion has always been a contentious subject among the Gaeldors, as evinced by the May Revolution. The current popular religion is thought to be Sikhism, although Bellisus and much of the nation is avowedly Atheist. No religious organization is tax exempt. Most religious Gaeldors have a different idea of divinity every few weeks or so, and their tumultuous theories are given little credence by the largely secularized nation. Indeed, before Islam was adopted by religious leaders, Baha'i Faith and Hinduism were very popular religions. A few Dystheist and Misothesit churches have sprung up, who believe in, and want to kill, a malignant creator. The government used to stage periodic raids on missionary outposts within the country, particularly on Christians, who had a minimal following within Gaeldorland. However, these raids may have been the inspiration for the JCSG, and have since stopped. Most conflict within the nation centers on religion. A small but vocal minority of Atheists actually attack the religious for their beliefs. However, it is usually the religious who instigate the violence, by proclaiming the atheists evil and worthy of eternal damnation. January 2009 saw the opening of the Centers for Atheist thought, which keeps atheism the state position. Polling A government survey taken November 5 found these religious preferences: - Atheist/Agnostic 76% - Baha'i Faith 10% - Hinduism 6% - Misotheist/Dystheist 5% - Jewish 1% - Christian 1% - Other/NA 1% This was the first survey since the JCSG was declared defunct. These statistics point to a marked shift away from the JCSG religions since their defeat. A Gaeldorland News Network/Janus Poll on May 5, only days before the revolution, found vastly different opinions: - Atheist/Agnostic 60% - Christianity 22% - Judaism 15% - Islam 2% - Other/NA 1% December Poll A poll on December 1 found the following opinions: - Atheist/Agnostic 70% - Sikhism 12% - Misotheist/Dystheist 10% - Christianity 3% - Judaism 2% - Islamic 2% - Other/NA 1% Initially, researches thought Sikhism category was Islam, as the respondents in this category all worshiped Allah. However, they also followed the polytheist beliefs of Hinduism. This paradox was a mystery to researchers for a number of days, and the poll read 13% Other/NA, instead of 12% Sikhism and 1% Other/NA. This shift away from Baha'i Faith to Sikhism is not surprising given the previous changes in opinion. However, the Sikh followers proclaim their religion to be the correct one, and the future of Gaeldorland. Misotheism/Dystheism Misotheist/Dystheist churches have only recently been made aware of. Misotheism is literally the hatred of god or gods, while Dystheism maintains that they are evil. Both churches may be simply extreme forms of Atheism, forms in which the members do not actually believe in the divine, but are very against the concept of religion and believe it to be evil. Services reportedly consist of impassioned speeches against all religion and occasional conspiracy for violence. Bellisus has yet to release an official statement on their religious practices. Reports on his position are wildly conflicted. Some pundits believe he will embrace them as a third force for stamping out other religions, and claim that some have even been made tax exempt. Others dispute this claim, saying that Bellisus is not about to return to the state supported persecution of religion any time soon. Some even go so far as to claim he will stop them if they are found attacking another religious sect. If Bellisus were to embrace either of these paths it would be a large departure from standard practice. Church of Gaeldorland On December 4, Bellisus unveiled a number of state funded centers for the study of religion, atheism and morality. The collective name of these establishments is the Church of Gaeldorland. However, these "churches" preach a message of tolerance and acceptance, instead of spewing forth a bigoted religious message. On the subject of religion, the church preaches atheism. The church is primarily geared towards families. Its aim is to educate young Gaeldors on the morality of Secular Humanism. Attendance is quite low among non-parents. The government does not expect a decrease in religious Gaeldors for a number of years. The churches were renamed the Centers for Atheist Thought on New Year's Day 2009.